Control mechanism for diesel engines



Dec. 26, 1950 E. GRlESHABER ETAL CONTROL MECHANISM FOR DIESEL ENGINES Filed April 24, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec 26, 1950 E. GRIESHABER ETAL 2,535,571

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR DIESEL ENGINES Filed April 24, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 26, 1950 CONTROL MECHANISM FOR. DIESEL ENGINES Emil Grieshaber and Kurt Froehlich, Milwaukee, Wis., assignors to Nordberg Manufacturing 00., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application April 24, 1947, Serial No. 743,710.

8 Claims. (Cl.,6016) Our invention relates to control mechanisms for a Diesel engine adapted to operate interchangeably on oil and gas fuel.

One object of the invention is to provide starting, operating and control'me'chanisms whereby the operator may, by the manipulation of a single control memberor handwheel, start the engine and operate it on either gas or oil fuel.

Another object is to provide an apparatus whereby during engine operation the operator may, by the manipulation of a single control mechanism, shift over from oil to gas fuel or vice versa.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism whereby a Diesel engine may operate on a mixture of both fuel oil and gas.

Other objects will appear from time to time in the specification.

When the engine burns fuel oil, it operates as a solid injection engine and the fuel injection system consists of a standard main fuel pump and fuel nozzle.

When operating on gas, the gas is admitted to the cylinders during the suction stroke through a separate gas inlet valve located in the cylinder head. This inlet valve serves as an additional intake valve for air when the engine runs on fuel oil alone.

Since the temperature of compression is not 'suflicient to ignite the gas, a small amount of pilot fuel oil is injected to start the ignition of the gas mixture. An injection system, separate from the main fuel injection system, is provided to keep the amount of pilot fuel oil to a minimum.

When the engine runs on a mixture of fuel oil and gas, the maximum amount of gas is manually set. The actual amount of gas and the requirement for additional fuel oil corresponding to the momentary load is automatically adjusted by the governor through the regulating shaft, which controls the gas regulating valve and the main fuel pumps.

The starting and stopping of the engine and the setting for operation on fuel oil or gas are done by a handwheel. This wheel, through a control sector and two locking sectors, operates the starting air shut-off valve and the gas control valve in such a way that only one valve is moved at a time. Both valves are three-way disk valves. In addition, the handwheel, through the control connections and a claw coupling, is connected with the regulating shaft.

Our invention is illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure; l 'is a. diagrammatic perspective view of a those parts of the Diesel engine which'form the subject matter of our invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation in part section of part of the control mechanism showing the en'- gine running on starting air;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic elevation in part section showing the position of the control parts in position for the engine to run on oil;

Figure 4 is a similar diagrammatic view show"- ing the parts in position for the engine to run ongas;

Figure 5 is a similar diagrammatic view showing the parts with the three-way valve set to throttle the gas supply.

Like parts are indicated by like characters in the drawings.

l is the cylinder, 2 the cylinder head, and 3 the piston. 4 indicates cooling water passages in the head. The cylinder, it will be understood, is normally surrounded by a cooling water jacket, omitted for the sake of clearness. The engine, of course, has the usual connecting rod, crank shaft, bearings, crank case, cylinder block, etc.. all omitted for the sake of clearness. 5 is the main fuel valve, 6 the'gas valve, 1 the pilot fuel nozzle, and 8 the starting air nozzle. The main fuel valve 5 is connected by piping 9 to the main fuel pump II]. The pilot fuel nozzle 1 is connected by piping II to the pilot fuel pump l2. The gas valve 6 is connected by piping l3, controlled by an equalizing valve 14, to the gas header l5.

It will be understood that there are a number of cylinders in an engine such as this. The gas header 15 supplies gas to all the cylinders. There is an equalizing valve M whereby the relative amount of gas supplied from the gas header I5 through the pipe [3 to the gas valve 6 for each engine may be manually adjusted for proper operation.

' I6 is a starting air header connected by pipe H to the air starting valve 8. The air starting,

a rotor 26 having one or more ports 21 adapted as it rotates to communicate one after the other with the pilot air pipes 23, one for each cylinder. Therotjor 25 is driven by a shaft 21 from a'gear 28 in mesh with a gear 29 on the fuel cam shaft valve 38 except when overcome by gas valve rocker arm 35. 40 is the main .fuel .cam .on cam shaft 30. It is engaged by a roller i i "at the lower end of the fuel pump cam rod 42, which rodis guided at its lower end by the :roickiarmlh LRock arms 34 and 43 are rotatably .mounted .01'1 Tthe fixed shaft 44. The fuel .pump "cam rod '42 is pivoted on the fuel pump crosshead .45and.carries the fuel pump plunger 46. "The fuel goes to the main fuel pump IIl through the supplypipefl.

The pilot fuel pump I2, the details of which are H :nothere shownandform :no part-of the inven tion. receives fuelthrough a supply pipeAB and :is actuated by a 'shaft -.4.9rdriven byza gearslill in -mesh with the gear :I .on the fuel cam eshaftriill.

The fuel cam shaft sfliisdriven by .a-.gear..52 from the crank ishaft by g gearing .-not here illustrated.

:It -.:will be :understood .thatthe engine valves for admission of .air and discharge lOf'EXhELLIStfOI-m .an element in eachcylinderhutiarenot: here illusdratedkandwillbe actuateddqy cams drivenefrom i the engine crank shaft in the usual manner.

=.-5 3 -.is agovernor=.drivenby..a gear Skin-mesh with 'a gear 55 .on the.-gear-:52. .The. governor arm 56 extends outwardly fromrthe governorandhy a spring .link 51 actuatesadeven 58 .on-ithe. regulating shaft 59. The details of the governor .are monventionaland-not here illustrated. The=regu- .Iatin TSha-ft-alsQhas a fuel oil .lever to rigidly imounted=thereon, :eonnected :by aconnecting ,rod

5| to the fuel pump rack :62 .in the .main .fuel

pump. :Movementtothe left bythe-rack 52 tends to-rent off-fuel. .Movem'ent toztheright tends :to increase -fuel fin response to change in :speed of the=engine under "theinfiuence of thegovernor. =53 sis a gas 'control lever rigidly mounted "on' the tregulating'shaftie, connected by linkfid to the lever :35, adapted :to .control .the gas regulating vvalve -.member 36 rintthe :gas .-:regulating valve 151, to controlwthe .fiow of gas to the ggas header I5,

.alsoresponsive to the speed .of theengineunder e-controlof the governor.

IUI is a control handwheel. It is marked as indicated, Stop, Start, -Oilrand Gas, with .ipointers spaced 0-apart. I-Il2.-is ;the-fixed indi- .cator pOintada-pted' to be relatedito .the pointers :on the control wheel. I5-3zis thecontrol shaft which-carries the controlyvh'eel, and has intermediateits endsla control'esector I54. :ThBfCOIltIOl sector "34 is notched =at lzfi5for ca Geneva :stop.

Plates I66 on either side of the sector lfidzcarry-a :rol-ler' I01. -I'08:-and' L09 :are locking'sectorshaving surfacesI -IILII'I adaptedto engage the periphery of :the control :sector =IEl4 and-slotted at; I I2 .and H 3 to beengagedby the-rollen I 01. Theshaf-t I33 ..-is:su 'pportedby the bearings I I I 4. :The shaft I I5 supported. in bearings :I-Ifi. carrieszatonerend the starting air lockingesector .ifleeand atfthe other endithe starting air lever Ill. .The "shaft .IIB supported "in bearings H 9 :car-ries-at one. end-the :gas central locking sector 1:99 .andat the other end the gas control valve lever I20.

- -I.-2I is :apipeleadingfrom the starting airsupply-.bottle or other .-.source:of air-pressure. I22 is- -gthe starting air shut-off valve. Within itis agthree-way valve member ;-I2 3 .controlled :by a

lever I24 joined by a connecting rod I25 to the lever H7. The three-way startin air shut-off valve is at the end of the starting air header I3 and also is connected to a vent I26 oomrnunicating with the suction manifold of the engine. I2'I is the gas control valve connected by a pipe I28 .tothegas regulating valve :37, :connected by a :pipe I 29 toa gas shut-off valve lfiil'an'dby a vent l3! to the intake or suction manifold. Within .the gas control valve is a three-way control member I32 having lever I33 connected by a connecting 'rod -I34t0 *the lever I 2%.

The pipe I35 leads from a suitable source of igasunder pressureto the gas shut-off valve I33.

The vent .I33leads to the open air, and the three- WaY COI'ItIOI'l'ili'llbhl" I32 in the gas shut-on valve I33 ,is.adapted to be controlled by the manual lever I38 to connect selectively the pipes I35 and I:29 for-:gas supplied to the engine, or the pipes I 29 and l 35 to connect the pipe 123 to the suction .manifoidhnwhich case .the gassupplp is shut off aa-s indicated.

Referring now to Figure 2, the parts garerin .theposition assumed when the handwheel :IPJI is in the start position-with the engine running .oncompressed air. At-this time the starting-air supply enters through the pipe -I2I, (passes through the starting .air shut-off valve I22, and

goes to. the engine through the startingaircheader H3, bec-ause'the control sector has rotated -.,the startingilecking sector -;I 33 into the starting position andias airesultair'under pressureis enabled to reach all of the starting valves. Meanwhile theggas control sector lee remainsin itsc-losed position.

Under 'these circumstances, howeven-air also travels from the. header it through the pipe '25, starting air distributor 23, port.2-l,;pilotairpipe '23 to. the air startingvalve-torovercome the pressure of the springizi and ;to allow -.sta-rti.ng :air .undeigpressure toilowqthrough the valve ,iza-into the combustion chamber to force the piston down. .Thiszresults in-a :rotation of the crankshaft and .ofncounse rotates thesstarting air distributor so that :at .the proper time another valve in the engine will be opened by airito permitair'to enter another cylinder, and soon during the iair sta nting operation. 7

:Referring znow ,tO Figure :3, :the vfhanfdvvheel is in the -.oil position with the engine -running on :oil. The starting :airrsupplyvalve hasbeen'rotatedrby the control sector to shut off thehigh pressure starting air, and the starting :air header I6;is:ncwvented through pipe :I26;to the suction manifold. The roller Iiliwhas-just engaged the slot :5 IS in the 'gaslockingsector, and the gas pipe IEfiis still :shut off, *butithe gas regulating pipe 128 is vented through the gas control valve I2? :and the :pipe 13! to Iithe -suction manifold. Wit-hi the parts in this position, 'therenginecopen ateson oil under .control of theigovernor.

Referring to Figure 4, where the: engine operates on gas, there'is no change'in the starting air control. The Geneva stop insures that. How- 3 ever, the ihandw-heel :has been rotated further.

When -.the engine -;contro S are; the -positioii shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4, there will always be a minimum amount of pilot fuel supplied by the pump I2. This is necessary because the gas itself does not satisfactorily support self-ignition combustion, and it is necessary to have a minimum amount of fuel fed through the pilot fuel nozzle at all times to start ignition. When gas alone is being used and if oil is being used either exclusively or in combination with gas, still the pilot supply of oil is fed to the cylinders, and that minimum pilot supply is superposed on the gas supply or the main oil supply or on both.

governor control, because it is set by the engines design and construction at a predetermined minimum, but the main fuel oil supply and the gas supply are both controlled by the governor 53 rotating the regulating shaft to the proper position.

When the engine starts and rotates under air pressure, it is not desirable to have any substantial amount of oil fuel or gas fed to the engine so a connection is provided. between the handwheel shaft I 93 and the regulating shaftbfl. This connection comprises the lever I39 on the shaft I93, the connecting rod Mil, bell crank lever MI, connecting rod I42 to lever M3, on claw coupling IM at the end of the shaft 59. With the parts in the stop position as shown in Figure 1, this results in the claw coupling moving in a clockwise direction to place the gas regulating valve as shown in Figure l inJthe off position, and the fuel pump rack in the same figure in the off posi tion. When the engine rotates it causes governor operation, but the spring link 51 between the governor and. the lever 58 on the regulating shaft 59 permits governor operation under these circumstances without regulating shaft movement. When the handwheel is moved from step position to start position, it merely moves the claw coupling I il a little further in the shut-01f direction. However, when the wheel is moved back in a clockwise direction, this results in moving the claw coupling in a counterclockwise direction and leaves the regulating shaft 59 to rock under the influence of the governor in the normal operating cycle.

The use and operation of our invention are as follows:

With the handwheel It! in the stop position, as shown in Figure 1, the engine side of the starting air shut-off valve I22 and the gas control valve I21 are vented to the suction manifold of the engine not illu trated, which is at atmospheric pressure while the engine stands still. The regulating shaft 5a is held in the fuel-01f position by the claw coupling I it.

In order to start the engine, the handwheel ii is turned 90 to the left (counterclockwise) into the start position. The gas control valve IE1 is not moved: the regulating shaft 59 is still kept in the fuel-off position; the starting air shut-off valve I 22 is opened, connecting the supply pipe I2! to the starting valves 8 in the cylinders. At the same time, th starting air is admitted through a pipe 25 to the starting air di tributor 24, which is driven by the cam shaft 30. This distributor times the opening and closing of the starting val es. At least one pa age t rough the distributor 2a is open by way of the pilot air pipe 23 to the top of the starting valve 3. which is thus opened and admits air to the cylinder I. The engine now turns over on air.

After the engine has made two or three revolutions, the handwheel is turned 180 to the right (clockwiseiinto the oil position. The starting air shut-off valve I22 shuts off-the air supply, and whatever air is trapped in the starting air header I6 is vented into the suction manifold. The control conections I39-I44 are turned into the fuelon position, Figure 3, so the governor 53 through the spring link 51 acts on the regulating shaft 59 and moves the fuel pump racks '62 into the position where the correct amount of fuel oil is supplied to the engine, according to its lead. The gas control valve I21 is still in its original position-that is, the gas supply is shut off. However, there is a flow of air from the suction manifold through the control valve I21 and the gas inlet valve 6, on account of the relative vacuum created in the cylinder during the suction stroke of the engine. This applies to supercharged, as well as to non-supercharged engines.

In order to run the engine on gas, the handwheel is turned another clockwise into the gas position, Figure 4. This can be done directly, without stopping in the oil position. 1

The starting air shut-off valve I22 remains in the shut-off position and the control connections remain in the fuel-on position. The gas control valve I 21 is turned and thereby shuts off the scavenging air supply and opens the gas supply. The gas flows through the gas regulating valve 56, through the gas header I5, through the gas inlet valves 6. which are open during the suction stroke of the. engine, and into the cylinders I, where it mixes with the air. The governor now moves the regulating shaft toward the gas range. If the available gas supply is sufficient, the governor will cut out the main fuel pumps entirely and regulate the engine through the gas regulating valve only.

An equalizing valve I4 is provided on each cylinder between the gas header I5 and the gas inlet valves 6. which is manually adiusted to balance the load between the different cylinders.

In order to run the engine on a mixture of oil and gas. the gas control valve I21 is partly closed, as shown in Figure 5, by moving the handwheel IIlI to the left. By thus limiting the gas supply, the amount of gas may not be sufficient for the engine to carry full load and the governor will move the regulating shaft 59 into the fuel oil range and supply the additional amount of fuel oil reouired for the load. When the load drops off. the governor 53 reduces only the amount of fuel oil at first. until the fuel oil is shut off and the engine is regulated on gas only.

We claim:

1. Control means for Diesel engines and the like including an air starting valve. aliq id fuel control valve. a gas control valve, gas and liquid fuel re ulating means, a governor adapted to control t e gas and the fuel regulating means, a sin le manually controlled member adapted selectively to operate the starting means, the liquid fuel control means and the gas control means, and means a sociated with and operated by said manually controlled means for holding the governor out of operation during the starting cycle.

2. Control means for an internal combustion engine, including a single manually operated member. an air start ng valve, a gas valve and an oil supply means. all directly operated by the manual control means, a governor adapted to control the supply of gas and oil in consonance with engine speed, and means controlled by the man ual control means for rendering the governor control inoperative during the en ines starting cycle and for automatically permitting operation a1 ttheagovernonto:contr1:gasiand:oilithereafter.

a, :anrinternal zcombustion ,aeneine. :a :cam wshafti azg-asziuelizsunply-valve,: means aotnatedrby theream shaftjfor-openingandnlQsingit-a pump adapted toiniectliquigiv fuel into the-engine, and :znoans controlled b :the :cam haft for timing asnohiinjection, a governor-and :means responsive rtott-hergovernor-for'nontro11ing the :amount of gaszandeoilgfedito :t-he enginepa :manualstarting ccontrol ,member adapted to :open and close the aimstartin valvegarrdj locking: means actuated :oy the-manual starting ccontrol mernber when such member is :in =zthe ;:air; starting valve open posi- :tion, :to :prevent governorrcontrol.

:.*1.;I n a Dieselzengine,separateiineans for. adaxri-ittingistarting,air, melon-and gas to the en- .xzine; unitarylmanuallyricontrolled means for operating said admissionrneansglockine means aotuateidcby thezinanually controlled means yto-lock :t-he air I and gas admission; means in closed 'posi- ,tion except during the time when one or other of them is positively :opened bythemanually [controlled means.

' '15. (In :2, Diesel engine, air, *gas and oil 'supply :means, a =single unitary vmeans :for controlling :saidtthree supply means; means associated 'with the c0ntr0 11means "for normally locking the gas :and air supply means in closed position, :and meansifonpositively opening the gas andiair. control means.

6. In 3, *Diesehengine, air, zgas and .Oil supply means, a single unitary means for controlling said three supply means, means associated with the control means for normally looking the :gas and air supply means in closed position, .and 'means :tfor positively opening the :gas and air control means, said means being separately on- =erated, a there :being an interlocking means to prevent simultaneous opening thereof.

'17; "A oontrol means for Diesel engines andi-the like, inclur ine: hand wheel, a control sector ada'pted to he operated hy the hand Wheel, anair oflevers adapted normally to beheld against :rotationby the control :sector, a :member on the control sector-adaptedtoengage selectively, one

eat, :a time, oneaof :said levers to rotate 1 it,ea ages rcontrol --.va-lv.e, an air control valve, and fuel .1011 :eontrol means, allover associated with the-con- :trol ,sectoradapted to COI-IBIOI the fuel oil sconhtrol means, aand -a -;connection between "the :two letters abovereferreri to and the .air controland -gas :control valves, respectively.

'3. In an engine, an air control valve, ;a gas :control valve, and ya liquidufuel control rni ans, .:-a :control shaft, a lever on the shaft, a connection rbetween it liquid fuel control means, ra control sector :mountedrforrotation on the shaft, levers. in opposition to the control sector adapted normally to be held against rotationtherebma :iconneotion between one of themantl' the gascontrol valve, and-between the other and theeir con- :trol :valve, 'the :oontrol sector being relieved through .a portion of its periphery, an actuating member carried hythe sector adjacent such-tre- ,iieved portion and adapted selectively "to engage one or other ofz'the levers to rotate such lever swi l-entire positionof the control-sector permits such. rotation, and means-for manually operating the control shaft.

EVIL GREESHABEE. KURT FROEHLECH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are ofrecord inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,352,717 Zhinden Sept. 1%, 5.920 l,'84n6 .237 Weiehe Feb. '23,:1-932 32,480,219 Barnaby et al M May "1%,1Q456 2300,24? Miller etal. a- Mayl,l9fi6 2309,2306 Miles Oct. 315, 1 946 32, l70,'747 Shepherd '}Ja.y"1 ,T1-949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number flountry Date 404,612 Germany r3922 608,987 Germany Oct. 11, @933 545,141 Great Britain May 12, 1 9.42 

